GOP Pennsylvania House member Mike Reese dies
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A state lawmaker who was elected to serve as the Pennsylvania House Republican Caucus chairman in the 2020-21 session has died, the House GOP leader said Saturday.
Rep. Mike Reese, R-Westmoreland/Somerset, "died peacefully with his family by his side Saturday afternoon at Excela Health Westmoreland Hospital in Greensburg following an apparent brain aneurysm," Rep. Kerry Benninghoff, the Majority Leader, said in a statement also posted on Reese's official House website and his Facebook page.
Reese was 42.
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To honor Reese, Gov. Tom Wolf ordered the state flag on all state and public buildings and grounds to fly at half-staff.
"I extend my heartfelt condolences on the passing of Representative Mike Reese," Wolf said in a statement. "Our thoughts are with Mike’s family, colleagues and constituents. Mike was a good man and a strong leader, and the people of western Pennsylvania have lost a dedicated advocate."
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Reese, first elected to the state House in 2008, served as the House GOP caucus secretary in the 2019-20 session.
"More than a friend to all of us, and one of our caucus leaders, Mike was a devoted husband and father," Benninghoff said, calling Reese "a model legislator who thoughtfully put his constituents first."
Reese said Dec. 7 he had recently learned that he had tested positive for COVID-19 and had been quarantining for the previous week after learning of his exposure to the virus.
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Reese is survived by his wife, Angela and three children.